7 Haitians Detained After Swim To Shore

Seven Haitians were rounded up Friday morning shortly after they swam ashore from a smuggler's boat, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said.

As the Coast Guard and other authorities searched for the boat, the Sheriff's Office and Jupiter Island Police continued to search for three more people who eluded them.

The Haitians, four men and three women, said they paid $5,000 to $7,000 each for the trip. They said they left their homeland from Port-de-Paix four days ago aboard a 25-foot boat powered by twin outboard engines and steered alternately by a captain and two crew.

About 7:30 a.m., someone noticed the ragged group making its way along the 19700 block of State Road A1A just north of the Jupiter Lighthouse and called police.